Psst! Whisper Numbers Provide
Additional Earnings Predictions

Q: Please explain "whisper" numbers, and why they're more often associated with some of the smaller tech companies than the bigger, more established firms. -- B.B., Oldsmar, Fla.

A: Whisper numbers are unofficial estimates of the earnings or revenues companies are expected to report (as opposed to the "official" estimates by Wall Street analysts who track the companies' performance -- usually with considerable guidance from the companies themselves). Sometimes, whispers come from the very same analysts,...